


Where The Heart Is

by leetje



Category: Football RPF
Genre: Fluff, Gift Giving, M/M, No knowledge of Football needed, background story from a roleplay community
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-02
Updated: 2014-03-02
Packaged: 2018-01-14 07:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1258090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leetje/pseuds/leetje
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cristiano returns home to Arjen after having been apart for a fortnight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Where The Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Inside My Heart](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/38518) by blackdracaena. 



> This piece was originally written and [posted](http://leetje.livejournal.com/193945.html) on LJ back in 2005. 
> 
> Companion piece to blackdracaena's [Inside My Heart](http://www.livejournal.com/users/blackdracaena/148531.html). She requested that I'd write Ronnie's POV since he's my character on [theinsidestory](http://theinsidestory.livejournal.com/) at the time. Those were the days :)

Standing in the hallway, he pensively peers at the door for a long moment. It had been two weeks since he’d last been home, since he’d last seen his lover. On the eve of his departure they’d gotten into a huge fight, which had ended by the unceremonious slamming of the door as he’d walked out with his baggage in one hand.  
  
As it turned out, Arjen hadn’t been pleased at all with his latest photo shoot and had accused him of sleeping with each and every model that he’d been caught on film with over the years. He hadn’t known before that the Dutchman had such problems with his modeling jobs and he’d been completely flabbergasted by the jealous tirade his lover had spat at him.  
  
Eventually he could no longer listen to the painful words that were hurled at his head and he’d left; for it was obvious to him that after all these years, Arjen still didn’t trust him to be faithful. It felt like he’d been gutted by a knife that was twisted harshly one, two, three times into his abdomen.   
  
He’d honestly thought that they’d ended that episode long ago, some months after he’d foolishly and unintentionally cheated on Arjen. All because of his unrequited infatuation for one of his former teammates. Up to this day it still was the biggest mistake he’d ever made and he’d never forgiven himself for nearly losing the person that had been there to pick up the pieces of his lovesick heart, mending them back together with his unyielding compassion and kindness.   
  
After he’d finally woken up in the arms of the object of his affections, he’d been hit by a cruel epiphany. Too late had he realised that it had all been in his head, that the love he’d been looking for wasn’t real and would never be real. The Ruud whom he’d been madly in love with didn’t exist; he’d been a perfected image in his head, only vaguely based on the man whose sleeping frame was pressed against his backside.  
  
Then came the painful conclusion that he had a real love, right underneath his very nose, but he’d been too blind to see it.   
  
He had confessed his immense mistake to Arjen, fully realising it would destroy everything that could’ve blossomed between the two of them. The Dutchman had been furious, disappointed and extremely hurt by his actions and he’d honestly believed that their relationship had ended before it could’ve truly begun. But to his everlasting amazement, Arjen had forgiven him and from then on they’d been inseparable. He’d vowed to himself that he’d never cause such pain to his lover again.  
  
Late at night, when he’d been lying in a hotel bed that was simply too big for just one person, he’d felt extremely cold and lonely without Arjen by his side, like he always felt whenever they were apart. Replaying their argument over and over in his head, he knew that Arjen shouldn’t have said all of the harsh things he’d said, but he fully understood why he did.   
  
His lover had always told him that he couldn’t quite fathom why someone as perfect as Cristiano would want to be with someone like him. For all the times he’d told Arjen that he was just as perfect in his eyes, the other man never quite believed him. It disappointed and saddened him that Arjen would think he’d just sleep with some pretty model after all that they’d been through. He should know how much he meant to him.   
  
For the next two weeks he had gone through the motions, wishing that Arjen would just call to apologise but it never happened. And now he was home.   
  
Searching his pockets for his keys, he lets himself into the spacious apartment, carelessly tossing the set onto the small table standing right next to the door, before glancing around for any signs that might indicate that Arjen’s home, indeed finding some that confirmed his presence within their home.   
  
Carrying his suitcase into their bedroom, his eyes are immediately drawn to the large windows; there’s a familiar silhouette visible through the airy curtains that billow slightly in the soft summer breeze. Cristiano take a moment to observe Arjen standing outside on the balcony as he overlooks the city and by the way he’s gripping the bar, he must be plagued by heavy thoughts in his head. His lover always did seem to worry too much for his own good and right now he wanted nothing more than to ease his mind.  
  
Quietly he walks up to the other man, slipping his arms around Arjen’s waist and holds him close to his own body as he kisses the soft skin of his neck; breathing in the scent that’s just uniquely Arjen’s before he speaks faintly.   
  
“Wat denk jij over?” He’d picked up on his lover’s native language over the years that they’d been together; extremely interested by the spelling and grammar that appeared to be so different from Portuguese, yet he’s still far from speaking it fluently. But Arjen seemed to understand his badly constructed sentences perfectly well and for him that was enough.  
  
The Dutchman turns around in his arms and lets his hands find their way underneath Cristiano’s shirt on their own accord, tracing circles over his lower back, making him shiver slightly at the loving touches. Then he finds himself looking into Arjen’s troubled green eyes, noticing the dark circles underneath them and knows his lover must have suffered from many sleepless nights in the past two weeks.  
  
“Ik… Het spijt me…” Pressing a finger to Arjen’s lips, he stops him from finishing his apology and shakes his head, gazing deeply into his lover’s eyes in understanding. He didn’t want an apology from Arjen; he’d already forgiven him. Then he remembers the gift he’d bought for Arjen and he smiles.  
  
“Ik heb deze, voor jou.” He says, letting go of his lover to dig into the left pocket of his jeans, from which he pulls out a small, navy blue coloured package, offering it to the man standing in front of him. Arjen accepts the box, frowning deeply and looks at him in question.  
  
“Maak maar open.” Nodding, he beckons for Arjen to unwrap the box. His lover does exactly that and he studies the Dutchman’s face closely for any reaction he might have to the present and bites on his lip in anticipation. He really hoped that Arjen would recognise the meaning behind it. The small gasp and the look of surprise in his lover’s eyes tell him that he does.  
  
For Cristiano’s 20th birthday Arjen had given him a beautiful silver-bracelet, which was back in the days when they’d barely known each other. He had been completely overwhelmed by the thoughtful gift, not believing that Arjen had given him something so special.   
  
Since that day he’d always faithfully worn the artefact around his wrist and it had become one of his most treasured possessions. To him it stood for every amazing aspect of their love and gave him a real sense of belonging.   
  
During the fortnight that he’d been away, he had often traced the bracelet fondly whenever he missed Arjen terribly and decided to give his lover an exact copy to show Arjen how much he loved and always would love him. However, the bracelets aren’t exactly the same.  
  
“Deze is andere datums.” He says and winks at his baffled lover.  
  
Arjen reads the dates and chuckles, realising which events those numbers represented precisely. The bracelet that Arjen’d given him held the dates of the first goals that Cristiano’d scored for Sporting, United and the national team of Portugal.   
  
But the bracelet currently resting on the soft cushion inside of the small box holds engravings that are of a more personal nature; the first time they’d kissed, the first time they’d made love to each other and their 5th year anniversary.   
  
By the way Arjen slowly brushes his fingers over the bracelet, Cristiano knows that he likes it and he’s glad. Carefully picking up the small band, he reaches for Arjen’s arm and fastens the bracelet around his wrist, before cupping Arjen’s left cheek in his hand and their gazes lock; Arjen’s eyes sparkle with happiness and love, making his breath catch in his throat.  
  
“Thank you,” Arjen says, closing the remaining distance between them with a tentative kiss that seems fragile even, as if his lover is afraid that he’d draw back. But Cristiano’s having none of that, deepening the kiss and rejoicing in their reunion after their unlucky fight and the long period spent apart.  
  
After the kiss ends he mischievously looks at his lover, taking a hold of his hand to be able to drag him back inside of the apartment and grins. “This won’t do, I expect a proper thank you!”  
  
Arjen’s rich laughter makes Cristiano’s heart skip a beat and he happily notes that Arjen’s worries seemed to have disappeared without a trace, worries that certainly wouldn’t return for quite an amount of time, not if Cristiano could help it.

**Author's Note:**

> Dutch translations:
> 
> “Wat denk jij over?” / "What are you thinking about?"
> 
> “Ik… Het spijt me…” / "I... I'm sorry"
> 
> “Ik heb deze, voor jou.” / "I've got this, for you"
> 
> “Maak maar open.” / "Open it"
> 
> “Deze is andere datums.” / "This one is different dates"


End file.
